You rented a car from a car rental company. The air conditioner has stopped working. You phoned the company a week ago but it still has not been repaired. Write a letter to the company. In your letter: - introduce yourself - explain the situation - say what action you would like the company to take
Sample Response
Dear Sir or Madam, My name is John Timothy, and I rented a car from your company on 24th June. Unfortunately, the car has a major problem and need your attention to fix the issue. As per the rental agreement, I would keep the car for three weeks, and if there are any problems with the car, your company would take care of them as quickly as possible. But, it looks like your rental company is not following through with the agreement terms. To explain the situation, the AC of my car stopped working within a couple of days of renting it. I immediately called your company to fix it, but after 5 days, it still has not got fixed. Please understand that I travel quite a lot in this scorching heat, and I do not see a chance that I can do it for another day without the AC. Therefore, based on the problem, I would highly appreciate it if you fix the car today. But, if that is not an option, please give me another car without any problem. I hope to hear from you soon. Yours faithfully, John Timothy
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Letter layout Original: Dear Sir or Madam, My name Suggested revision: Dear Sir or Madam, My name Why it matters: Start the body on a new line after the salutation.
- 2. Missing agreement Original: the car has a major problem and need Suggested revision: the car has a major problem that needs Why it matters: Problem is singular and needs a relative clause.
- 3. Formal collocation Original: your attention to fix the issue Suggested revision: your urgent attention Why it matters: The repair request is explained later.
- 4. Wrong tense Original: I would keep the car Suggested revision: I am renting the car Why it matters: The rental is currently ongoing.
- 5. Formal transition Original: But, it looks like Suggested revision: However, it appears that Why it matters: This is more suitable for a formal complaint.
- 6. Word order Original: agreement terms Suggested revision: terms of the agreement Why it matters: This is the natural noun phrase.
- 7. Formal wording Original: AC of my car Suggested revision: car's air conditioning Why it matters: Spell out the feature in a formal letter.
- 8. Number style Original: after 5 days Suggested revision: after five days Why it matters: Small numbers are usually written as words in formal prose.
- 9. Passive form Original: has not got fixed Suggested revision: has not been repaired Why it matters: Use the present perfect passive for an unresolved repair.
- 10. More precise impact Original: travel quite a lot Suggested revision: need to drive frequently Why it matters: This connects the inconvenience directly to the vehicle.
- 11. Unclear expression Original: do not see a chance that I can do it Suggested revision: cannot continue using the car Why it matters: The pronouns in the original are vague.
- 12. Awkward transition Original: based on the problem Suggested revision: Given the urgency of the problem Why it matters: This creates a clear causal link.
Suggested Rewrites
- Dear Sir or Madam, My name Dear Sir or Madam, My name
- the car has a major problem and need the car has a major problem that needs
- your attention to fix the issue your urgent attention
- I would keep the car I am renting the car
- But, it looks like However, it appears that
- agreement terms terms of the agreement
Why this response received Band 7.0
The letter clearly introduces the renter, explains the unresolved air-conditioning problem, and requests either immediate repair or a replacement car in a suitably firm tone. Its effectiveness is reduced by compressed letter formatting and several awkward or inaccurate phrases; prioritise conventional paragraphing, precise complaint language, and cleaner verb forms.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Achievement
All three bullet points are developed and the purpose and requested remedies are clear, with an appropriate formal tone.
State the exact date of the first call consistently with the prompt and specify a practical deadline or contact method.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence is logical, but the entire letter is compressed into one block and several connectors are mechanical.
Use separate paragraphs for introduction, problem history, impact and requested action.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is adequate and appropriately firm, though several collocations are unnatural or imprecise.
Use complaint-letter phrases such as 'requires urgent attention', 'has not been repaired' and 'a fault-free replacement'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of sentence structures is used, but agreement and verb-form errors occur in noticeable places.
Check subject-verb agreement and use present perfect passive for unresolved repairs.